Chapter One: The Creature Walks
You've been dreaming about having new friends in a ghost town

Jade felt a tremor run through his body as the elevator doors closed in front of him. He pressed the button for the seventeenth floor and took a deep breath, glancing down at his watch nervously. By his time it read that it was seven minutes to nine. Being late for an interview was nothing but trouble, but being too early made you seem over anxious. He wanted to appear calm, collected, and confident. The complete opposite of everything he felt at that moment

The elevator came to a smooth stop, and the doors slid open. Jade stepped out and stopped in front of the large, frosted glass doors. The bold, black lettering above them read "Adam Carson, et al. Public Relations." He held his portfolio to his chest and drew in a long breath, reaching out one arm and pulling the door open. The office was bright and spacious. In front of him was a desk where a pretty, young receptionist sat, typing things into a computer. Behind her desk was an open kitchen that acted as a median between the two offices. To his left and right were separate waiting areas. The one to his left was empty, and the one to his right had ten people waiting in it.

Jade walked up to the receptionist, who's name placard identified her as Amy, and waited politely to be acknowledged.

She looked up and smiled.

"Yes, hi. How are you?" Jade asked cordially.

"I'm doing well, thank you. May I help you with something?" She responded politely, but to the point.

"My name is Jade Puget, and I have a nine o'clock interview with Mr. Carson."

She sighed softly, letting her smile falter for the briefest of moments. "Everyone has a nine o'clock interview with Mr. Carson. Unfortunately he isn't the best at scheduling these types of things. This is the tenth day of interviews. How the process works is that I take down names in order of arrival, and he will see you when he sees you. Generally the interviews don't last too long, so your wait should be minimal. You may have a seat on the right."

"Thank you." Jade said, feeling ill at ease. Ten days of interviews could only mean that Mr. Carson was extremely hard to satisfy.

Seven more people entered after Jade, most of whom had to sit on the other side of the waiting room. At nine o'clock sharp, Amy called the first name. Two minutes later, the applicant left, looking beyond disheartened.

The next few interviews went just as quickly, the longest lasting no more than five minutes. At twenty minutes past nine, someone else entered the office. He was wearing black jeans, a black sweater and Chuck Taylors, making everyone else in the room look well overdressed. Jade adjusted his tie, knowing that this other applicant didn't stand a chance.

"Good morning." He said, walking up to the receptionist.

She sighed, shaking her head. "You're late Mr. Burgan. You know if Mr. Carson sees you dressed like this, he's going to have an aneurysm. He's already having a terrible day. He's gone through seven applicants already, and –"

"Don't fret. I have a change of clothes in my office. He'll be done by quarter 'til, easy, and I'll be changed by then. Please tell me he' s had his coffee. I don't want to be on conference call with him if he's caffeine deprived."

"He has." She said, shuffling through some papers. She handed a stack to him. "These are your messages."

"Thank you, Miss Amy. I'll be in my office if you need me."

Jade watched the exchange in amusement. If Mr. Carson had hired this man, then he couldn't be that bad. Could he?

At nine thirty seven, the only other applicant that had arrived before Jade stormed out of the office, muttering indecipherable nonsense under her breath. Jade took a deep breath, clutching his portfolio and his resume. He knew he was next, but waited patiently to be called.

"Mr. Puget, Mr. Carson will see you, now. Through those doors, and into the second office." She said, the same way she had said it to the people before Jade.

Jade stood, feeling faint, and walked past the desk, and through another set of frosted glass doors. The first office he entered was clean, and well decorated, but vacant. He assumed this would be the office that Mr. Carson's assistant would have. He took a deep breath and walked into the second, much larger office. The room was bright, as three sides of the room were made of glass, two of which overlooked Hollywood's busy, city streets. It was sparsely decorated, the centerpiece being the large glass desk at which Mr. Carson was seated, with his head down, looking over paperwork.

"Have a seat." Mr. Carson said, without so much as an upward glance.

Jade sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, placing his portfolio on his lap. He had a feeling he would be staying long.

"Resume."

Jade slipped his resume across the desk, startled when Mr. Carson reached for it immediately. All was silent for a few excruciatingly long moments while Mr. Carson looked over Jade's resume.

"Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in marketing and business administration. Attended the University of Pennsylvania School of business. Ivy League. Don't think you're the first applicant with Ivy League credentials under their belt." Mr. Carson said, eyes still scanning the paper in front of him. He still had yet to even give Jade a fleeting glance. "You interned for Madison and Arthur for three years. They're second in the business, and I intend to keep them there. What do you know about my business?"

"You were in Forbes and Fortune 500 'Companies to Watch' for the past four years, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, Dallas, Chicago, Nashville, New York, London, and Paris. You are the most sought after PR firm in the entire country, and within the next few years, I can safely assume that yours may be the biggest firm in the world." Jade was so glad he had researched this. Not that he had much researching to do. This is the firm that he had wanted to work for since he started grad school.

"Flattery gets you nowhere, Mr. Puget." Mr. Carson said sharply.

"On the contrary, sir. In this business, flattery gets you anywhere."

This comment earned Jade what he doubted many of the other applicants got: genuine acknowledgement. Mr. Carson looked up, stealing Jade's breath away in under a second. His eyes were such an intense shade of blue, that Jade thought they resembled that of an ocean at dawn, when you're looking down on it from twenty thousand feet. His shaggy hair hung across his forehead in a way that only rolling out of bed could create. His nose and ears looked out of place on his masculine face, both features only adding to his beauty. It was evident that he hadn't shaved in days, something that Jade certainly hadn't expected. He was wearing a blood red dress shirt that Jade saw in the window of Prada on Rodeo, which he had salivated over. This only made his eyes look more intense. In short, he was everything a man should be: Stunning. Masculine. Well Dressed.

Mr. Carson raised an eyebrow, and tilted his head to the side smugly. "And what do you think makes you even near qualified enough for me?"

"I worked for the only firm that even came close to matching your numbers. They would have given me a small island in Fiji to work for them, but I have only wanted to work for you. Knowing your reputation, they said that when you refuse to hire me, they will be more than happy to. I have a list of clients who will be elated to have your firm handle their events if they hear that I'm working for you."

"You didn't work for them. You weren't on their payroll. You were an intern." Mr. Carson said with an air of disgust.

"True, but their firm only hires those with a masters degree, as so does yours. I just completed grad school two weeks ago."

"Why should I hire you?" Mr. Carson said locking eyes with Jade

"I know more than most about this business, and what I don't know, I can learn.'

Mr. Carson scoffed. "You don't know a thing about Public Relations."

With that, Mr. Carson nodded to the door, signaling that the interview was finished.

He returned to the paperwork he was looking at when Jade had entered.

"Thank you so much for your time." Jade said genuinely.

"Uh huh." Mr. Carson said, picking up the phone and dialing.

Jade exited, closing the door behind him. He slowly made his way through the first office, thinking of how this had been the absolute worst interview that he had ever taken part in. He sighed and looked around the office, he saw that Amy was just hanging up the phone. "Mr. Carson wants to thank everyone for their time. He will not be seeing any more applicants, as the position has been filled."

Jade shook his head, slightly confused.

"Mr. Puget, please have seat." Amy said, her smile one of relief.

Jade looked around at the other applicants getting up and leaving. He was terribly confused. Mr. Carson hadn't given him so much as a hint of a smile, and suddenly he was hired? He felt like either doing a dance, or vomiting. When the other applicants left, Amy looked at him and smiled.

"After their conference call, Hunter will be out to do your paperwork with you and explain your duties and such. Welcome to the company, Mr. Puget."

"Wow, thank you. Please, call me Jade. And who is Hunter?" Jade asked, confused.

"Oh that would be Mr. Burgan. The one who is perennially late. We have a very casual office, save for when it's hiring time. Which is actually quite frequently. Conference call shouldn't be more than twenty minutes to a half hour. That will, of course be explained to you by Hunter." Amy said sweetly.

"I can't believe he…I thought he hated me." Jade said. He was expecting Mr. Carson to come out and tell him that he wasn't really hired; that it was all some joke. Amy dismissed his comment with the wave of her hand. "He hates everyone. But don't think he likes you. He just dislikes you the least. Who knows how he does this. The people he hires either quit because they can't handle the stress or go on to be promoted. Again, this is something Hunter will be sure to tell you."

"So what does Hunter do?"

"He's a PR Rep, just like Adam. He used to be Adam's assistant. He stuck it out, and now he's a Rep. They each have their own clients, but Adam usually handles the huge accounts."

Jade nodded and sat down in the same chair he had sitting in before the interview. Twenty five minutes later, Hunter came out of the office, wearing the same outfit he had been wearing when he had walked in. So much for changing. Hunter walked past Amy and smiled at Jade, stopping right in front of him.

"Congratulations! I'm Hunter."

Jade couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of his mouth. "Thank you, I'm Jade."

Hunter smiled widened and he took Jade's extended hand, shaking it. "Pleased to meet you. You know that 'et al' after it says 'Adam Carson?' Yeah that's me. I'll tell you what kind of doom is in store for you. My office is this way."

Jade stood and followed Hunter past Amy's desk and through the set of frosted glass doors that didn't lead back to Adam. Hunter looked over his shoulder at Jade to speak.

"This is my assistant, Ashley's office. She's in Milan right now. She'll be back on Thursday."

Hunter pulled one of the doors open and held it for Jade. Jade smiled his thanks as he passed through. Hunter's office was the same size as Adam's, which thoroughly surprised Jade. The only difference was that only one side of Hunter's office over Hollywood. Hunter's office was cluttered with paper, a television, two computers, a couch, and framed photos of what he assumed were friends and family. It was safe to say that Hunter was Adam's polar opposite.

"You can go ahead and sit at my desk." Hunter said, moving behind the desk and rifling through a set of drawers. He pulled out three booklets and a stack of paper. Jade sat down across from Hunter, looking on nervously. "So what is this 'doom' you're talking about?"

Hunter laughed, his blue eyes sparkling. "Adam's a monster."

"He's a legend in the business." Jade said, feeling as though it was his place to defend Adam.

"Of course he is. How do you think he got there? By being nice? No way, man. I've been with him for the past three and a half years. I know him well enough by now to be able to say those things about him honestly."

"Oh." Jade said, dread settling in the pit of his stomach. "Did you start the company with him?"

Hunter shook his head. "That would be Michael. He's the head of the San Fran office. The company started with Adam and Michael five years ago, Michael being Adam's assistant. They started in San Francisco, and there was such a huge demand that Adam thought it was best to expand. He hired two more Reps, three more assistants, and moved down to LA by himself to open the office here. He hired me as his assistant, and it was just the two of us for a while. Then he made me a Rep, hired two more assistants, and then set about conquering the rest of the US and Canada. Most of the offices have two Reps, two assistants, and a receptionist, some have three of each. The office in Paris is the newest, having opened three months ago."

"Wow." Jade said, truly stunned. "Has he been without an assistant for a long time?"

"A few weeks. Nothing personal, but most of his assistants don't last very long. They're all wet behind the ear post Grads who have no idea what it's like to actually work for someone. My advice to you is this: do what he says, when he says it, and you'll be fine. He's not the warm fuzzy kind of guy, but he isn't a complete asshole. Well, not all the time anyway."

Jade nodded. "So if I'm having a bad day and need a hug, he's not going to be sympathetic?"

"Absolutely not. He's gotten meaner over the past six months. He used to have a sense of humor, but that's gone. He had a nasty, nasty break up that just about killed him. He actually missed work for two whole days. When he had to have his wisdom teeth pulled last year, he was back at work the next day. That tells you what kind of things he can handle. I think he's seeing one of the clients, now, so at least he's getting laid again. Who knows. He doesn't really talk about his personal life anymore." Hunter paused for a moment. "Wow. Now that I've run my mouth and dished out Adam's entire load of dirty laundry, why don't we get you started on this?"

Jade smiled, feeling more at ease.

"Sorry. I'm kind of a gossip queen. I guess that's why I do what I do."

"It's definitely the right job for it." Jade agreed.

"Okay. This is the benefits package. We offer great benefit, so fill this out. This is the personal information, the background check agreement, the reference form, the proprietary agreement, the harassment policy, and the short list of things our company has absolutely no tolerance for. Read them, sign them. This last stack here, explains pay rates, holidays, expenses, bonuses, and other little job perks. Read them, and sign them, too. If you have any questions, I'll be lying over there on that couch, watching TV." Hunter said, getting up and walking over to the aforementioned couch.

"I do have one question."

"Go for it." Hunter said, looking over from his prone position.

"Why are you doing this with me? Why isn't Mr. Carson?"

"Adam. We only address each other formally when there are applicants or Human Resources people floating around. And because he doesn't like to. He finds it tedious. When you finish all of this, you'll meet with him for maybe two minutes tops, he'll give you tomorrow's assignment and then send you home. He's very hands-off when it comes to that. New hires are like children to him. He'd prefer not to deal with you until he's sure you know what you're doing. Me? I don't mind it so much."

"Ah, I see."

Jade filled out page after page of information, skimming through the policies that he found important. He was fine with everything until he came to the final page, which dictated his pay.

"Are you kidding?" Jade asked aloud.

"About what?" Hunter asked, getting up off the couch and sitting next to Jade. "Let me see."

He took the page from Jade, reading it over. "That's the standard pay for Adam's assistants. If you want to negotiate that, then you'll have to take it up with him. He makes the final decisions on all of that."

"Negotiate?" Jade asked, looking up at Hunter. "Are you sure this is supposed to be an eight and not a three or something?"

Hunter looked at it again. "No, that's right."

"Eighty thousand dollars a year? To start?" Jade asked incredulously.

"And a four percent pay increase one year from your date of hire. Oh, you'll work for it, though." Hunter said with a smirk. "Sign that and ill send you over to Adam. I think he's ready to see you again, anyway."

Jade signed his name. No matter what kind of a monster Adam was, eighty thousand dollars was certainly worth it. He stood and piled the papers neatly.

"I'll take care of this, you go see Adam. Always knock first." Hunter said.

"Thanks. And thank you for being so helpful. I'll see you around." Jade said, shaking Hunter's hand again.

"You're very welcome." Hunter said, finally getting to return to his actual work.

Jade crossed the office, walking through what was now his office, and stopping at the doors to Adam's. He knocked lightly.

"Come in."

Jade walked through the doors, stopping in front of Adam's desk. "You wanted to see me?"

Adam looked up. "Everything signed?"

"Yes."

"Good. Apparently you're competent enough. The office you passed through is yours. I wouldn't suggest decorating it. In fact, don't do anything unless I expressly state that it's okay. Dress code is casual; as I'm sure the circumstances of today's dress have been explained to you. Your job is this: you handle all of my minor accounts and attend all the events that I do not want to attend. You are my right hand. I have high expectations and even higher standards. Do not let me down." Adam paused to emphasize his point. "As for tomorrow, I want you here at nine. Not five after, not three after. Nine. On the dot. There will be paperwork to file, accounts to process, and reservations to be booked. Word of advice, John-"

"Jade."

Adam looked momentarily put off. "Does it matter?"

"To me it does." Jade said meekly.

"Word of advice, Jade: do what I say, when I say it, and we wont have a problem. Understood?"

Jade nodded. "Yes."

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then." Adam said, returning to his paperwork.

"Goodbye, and thank you." Jade said, leaving the office.

When the door closed behind Jade, Adam, in the privacy of his office, gave a brief smile.

The beginning of Jade's first day wasn't bad at all. Adam greeted him as he passed through his office, but spent the rest of the morning at his desk. Hunter was in and out a lot, and his ears perked up when he happened to overhear the sound of what might have been two people laughing. Jade wished he could see Adam laugh, or at the very least, smile. He would be willing to put money on it that it was sexy beyond reason.

Somewhere around noon, Hunter barged into his office again.

"Howdy!" He greeted, tapping on Jade's desk.

"Hello there." Jade said, looking away from his task.

"Aren't you starving? I'm hungry like the wolf. Quick! Name the reference!"

"Duran Duran." Jade said like it was the most obvious thing in the entire world.

Hunter's eyes glittered jovially. "Oh, Jade. I like you so much more than I like everyone else here. And it's only your first day. You. Me. Food."

"Oh is Adam going to be coming?" Jade asked casually.

Hunter looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "I don't think Adam eats. You haven't discovered that he isn't human? We all think he drinks blood, or something. He hasn't come out of his office and blamed you for the sun being too bright yet?"

"Um. No. He's been in there all day."

Hunter raised his eyebrows. "Wow. He must be either really, really, really busy, or he likes you. Ignoring your mere is his way of saying he appreciates you." Jade smiled and shook his head, standing up. "Should I ask him if it's okay to go to lunch?"

Hunter dismissed his question with a wave of his hand. He walked over to Adam's door and opened it, peeking his head in. "Hey! I'm taking Jade to lunch. I have to tell him the rest of your life story."

Jade couldn't hear Adam's response, but saw Hunter nod. Hunter shut the door, turning to Jade and smiling. "You're free for one whole hour. Grab your jacket and let's go."

Jade grabbed his jacket from the coat closet, and followed Hunter into the front office. He chatted for a moment with Amy while Hunter grabbed his coat, and they left. They ate at a California Pizza Kitchen that was a few miles away from their building.

"Are you from LA?" Hunter asked through a mouthful of linguine.

"No. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania. I moved here two weeks ago. The day after I finished Grad School, actually. My parents had set aside some money for me to use after I got out of school, just in case I couldn't find a job right away, you know? Someone at the firm I had been working at before had told me there was an opening at Adam Carson's firm working for Adam himself, and I knew I at least had to try to get the job."

Hunter shook his head, unceremoniously slurping up a noodle. "Don't tell Adam that whole thing about your parents paying for everything. He hates that, since he had to really work for everything he has."

Jade scoffed. "My parents may have financed it, but I'm the one who paid for it."

Hunter nodded in understanding. "So what's your deal?"

"My deal?"

"Well, you can't want to work for Adam forever. Do you want to own your own firm? Do you just want the hookups so you can screw models and actresses?"

Jade grinned. "No, that's not it. And between you and me, models and actresses aren't my thing. Unless you're talking about the hot models in the Calvin Klein ads, and Brad Pitt."

"Oh." Hunter's grin turned wolfish. "You and Adam bat for the same team then."

Jade's face registered shock. "You're kidding."

"Nope. That designer he's rumored to be 'canoodling'? A guy. Barely a guy, but a guy nonetheless."

"Are they really?" Jade asked, feeling very much like he and Hunter were two very gossipy secretaries.

Hunter shrugged. "I've never seen them leave together. Except those few times they went to business lunches, but then they were only gone for an hour or so."

"How long does a quickie take?" Jade said, raising an eyebrow.

Hunter started laughing. "Jade. I like you. I like you a lot."

Jade grinned and shrugged. He could tell he and Hunter were going to be very good friends. Hunter picked up the tab, and they high-tailed it back to the office, already being five minutes late. When Jade made his way into his office, it was ten minutes past one.

As soon as he sat down, his phone rang, the screen displaying "Adam Carson."

"This is Jade."

"In my office. Now." Adam said shortly. He didn't sound angry, but Jade wouldn't let himself be deceived.

The line went dead and Jade hung up the phone, scurrying into Adam's office. He was turned around in his chair, back to Jade, and facing the windows in front of him. "That list of people needs to be called. Get on the phone with Versace and ask then what is taking them so long to get us that line of clothing they promised us. Explain to them, again, that Christina Ricci is going to an event that we are putting together, and if they don't get their acts together, she's going to be there naked. Call the New York office and ask them why I haven't seen their weekend reports yet. They should have had them here yesterday. Call the Renaissance Hotel and book the Grand Ballroom for January 18th, approximately twenty-two hundred people will be in attendance. This next month is going to be hectic, and I need you to be prepared. The Oscars are in February, and people are going to want their parties booked soon. My work load is going to triple, which means that yours will, too. I'm leaving for London next week, and I expect you to understand every single thing by the end of the week. Clear?"

"Yes." Jade said, scooping up the papers that were sitting on the end of Adam's desk.

"Oh, and Jade?" Adam asked. "How long is an hour?"
Jade cringed. He knew he wouldn't be let off the hook. "Sixty minutes, sir."
"Oh, because I was starting to think that you and I had different ideas of what an hour was. Next time, when I tell you that your lunch hour is sixty minutes, don't take seventy. Regardless of what great disappointments of mine you're out to lunch with. This is your first day. Now is not the time to start fucking up. Now you may leave."
Jade skulked out of the office, making as little noise as possible. He knew he shouldn't have taken so long to at lunch, but he was having such a good time with Hunter and he didn't have any friends in LA, yet. Needless to say, he was disappointed with himself.
By the end of the week, he had learned more than he thought humanly possible. When he had questions, he never went to Adam, but instead he asked Hunter or Ashley, Hunter's assistant. They were always more than happy to lend a hand and were thrilled that Jade had even lasted a week. As for Adam, he never made a comment either way. When Jade did something right, he ignored it, and when Jade did something wrong, he curtly explained what he did wrong and expressed that it need not happen again.
Come Monday, Adam was out of the office. Jade's relief was apparent. He handled all of Adam's clients with an easy confidence, for which they were all glad. When Adam came back the following Monday, every single client had left him messages regarding Jade's exceptional performance. Again, no comments were made either way. When Jade was getting ready to leave on Monday evening, Adam was still working.
Jade knocked on the door, waiting for Adam to acknowledge him.
"Come in."
"I've finished with the Marsden account, and just got off the phone with Des at Dior. She says the items have already been sent and should arrive here tomorrow. Marc says that the bags are ready and the Rep for Chanel says that he will be meeting with Marc tomorrow and hand delivering the perfumes. Kevin at Hilton wanted to know why Justin Timberlake staying at the Four Seasons made the cover of People, so I called People and explained to them that this was ridiculous. In the nicest way possible, of course. They promised us a layout on the recent parties at the Universal Hilton and swore that this would not happen again."
Adam nodded. "Okay."
Jade sighed. "Have a good night, Adam."
Adam waited until Jade was at the door before calling him back. "And Jade? Tomorrow morning you'll be handling the Dolce and Gabbana after party. It's a big deal. We will be attending. The head designer will be here tomorrow afternoon, and will want complete details that are solid, so I need you on top of your game."
Jade nodded. "Of course. Good night."
Adam didn't respond, which was far from surprising. Jade left the office, went back to his own and collected his things. On his way out, he ran into Hunter.
"Hey, man! Are you on your way home? Do you want a ride?"
Jade smiled. "You don't have to go out of your way for me."
"Oh, it's no problem."
"I promise. My next paycheck, I'm getting a car."
Hunter nodded. "I'd wait until around holiday time, but you should. People in New York take the subway, people in LA drive."
"Hence the traffic."
"Exactly."
When they got down to the garage and into Hunter's car, Hunter glanced over at Jade. "Why so blue? I haven't heard Adam screaming at you, yet. Ash and I were talking about it earlier. We're worried."
Jade chuckled. "I'm working really hard, and true, I get paid to, but Adam hasn't so much as given me a nod of approval. Nothing. Not even a Thank You when I bring him his coffee in the morning."
Hunter chuckled. "Don't hold your breath for one. You could give him your left kidney and he won't even thank you for it. I'll estimate it at this: You'll get your first job next month, maybe. And two months after that, he'll thank you for something."
Jade smiled. "Oh, I already have my first job. He's having me meet with the Dolce and Gabbana designer tomorrow afternoon, to go over the details of a party."
Hunter looked over at Jade, completely stunned. "Wow. I didn't get my first job for three months. You're getting yours after only three weeks. Again, wow."
Jade shrugged.
"And PS, the designer you're meeting with tomorrow is the guy Adam's banging. So you know. He's a laugh and a half. Likeable guy, but bitchy if you get on his bad side. I wonder why Adam's having you deal with him." Hunter said absently. He looked over at Jade, an idea popping into his head. "This calls for a celebration, my friend! Dinner, on me! You game?"
Jade smiled again. "Sure."
Hunter smiled. "I wouldn't bring this up with Adam just yet, but this can only mean one thing: He likes you."
"Gee. If this means he likes me, I'd hate to know what it would be like if he hated me."
Hunter shuddered. "I've seen it, and it's not pretty. At. All."